The average Wausau resident will pay $300 for water in 2021

By Shereen Siewert

The water bill for an average residential customer will increase from $229 per year to just over $300 in 2021, according to a public notice to all customers of the Wausau Water Utility.

That amount includes the public fire protection charge and is calculated based on the average residential customer with a 5/8-inch or 3/4-inch meter using 1,300 cubic feet of water per quarter.  Bills for the same customer without the public fire protection charge will increase from about $187 per year to about $250 per year.

Water rates will increase in two steps between now and Jan. 1, 2021. The rate hike is due so a 23.75 percent increase in gross plant investment and a 36.48 percent increase in operating expenses since the last water rate case was completed in 2015.

A virtual public hearing on the water utility’s application for the increase is set for 10 a.m. on April 28. The public can attend by telephone at 855-947-8255. The passcode for the meeting is 833379#. Callers should connect no sooner than 9:45 a.m., but calls placed after 10 a.m. may not be received.

The Public Service Commission will broadcast the audio of the hearing live on the Commission’s website at http://psc.wi.gov under the “Live Broadcast” button. The Commission encourages people with adequate internet service wishing only to observe the hearing should do so online.